Best ACOUSTIC Guitars Under £1000

Are you looking for a new acoustic guitar? The prices for acoustics go as low and high as with electric guitars, and there’s about as much variety out there too! But hey, you should be able to get something good for under a thousand quid, shouldn’t you?

I agree. You should and you can. You can absolutely get a good - no, a very good - acoustic guitar today without spending over a grand of your hard-earned cash. Nowadays, the guitar market is a wide-open international place where top quality instruments are being made for increasingly affordable prices. Steel string, nylon, electros with cutaways, exotic woods…it’s all available at prices that are eminently reasonable. 

Today is all about herding together a variety of great quality guitars that are all priced at under a thousand pounds. The task is simple: I’ve gone for what I think are the best buys, and I’ve tried to ensure a good variety. I’ve included different brands, body styles and more, to try to adequately illustrate what’s out there for you. It’s all there to be had! All of these guitars come personally recommended by myself. I hope you enjoy checking them out with me!

I’m starting off with a curveball! There’s a whole range of wonderful new Epiphone acoustics available that have been created in collaboration with Gibson, and I’ve been impressed by them. All of the expected classics are there, including this Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Hummingbird 12-string.

12-string guitars can be a bit of a gamble sometimes. We’ve all played less-than-great 12-strings in the past, with cheese grater strings, warped necks and dodgy nuts, haven’t we? In theory, 12-strings are wonderful, but the reality often disappoints.

Well, there’s none of that here! This is a finely made, extremely playable and very resonant guitar. It’s completely solid (spruce and mahogany, as you’d expect from a Hummingbird), so the whole thing vibrates well and will only improve in that regard as time goes on. It has the classic H-bird looks, it has Grover tuners and it has a Fishman pickup, which pretty much makes this heaven for singer-songwriters. You no longer have to fear the unwieldy 12-string: behold the playable, lovely 12-string!

It’s a perennial favourite, the Taylor GS Mini. It keeps popping up on these lists, and that’s because it’s an enormously effective instrument that delivers over and over.

The GS Mini is exactly what its name suggests: a small-scale version of a Taylor Grand Symphony guitar. Slightly downsized, it becomes easier to handle and play for those who struggle on dreadnoughts and jumbos. It’s even more portable than a standard acoustic guitar, so loads of players love it as a travel guitar, though I should say that the tones on offer are far richer than you might expect from a small guitar. It’s all down to a smart design, a good build and some quality timbers. In reality, it's fun for everyone to play, whether that’s on the couch, on the beach or on stage.

A decent dreadnought is a staple for all guitar players. As a style, they are the perfect blend of size, projection and dynamic. Not huge, not small: just right. Martin are the brand who invented the dreadnought, and still offer a wealth of options.

Now, top-end Martins lie far beyond our price cap today, but there’s still plenty to choose from. I decided to go with the Martin DX2E Billy Strings signature model, which has a lot of features for players looking to get stuck in! Chief of these is a slightly wider nut, which allows a little more room for your fingers. You’ll play cleaner and clearer, though if you’re trying to match Billy’s speed, you’re on your own!

Other nods to quality include a solid spruce top, an ebony fingerboard and a hemp case. I recommend this to anyone searching for a dependable workhorse guitar that delivers without unnecessary frills. And it’s a Martin!

I’ve written about Yamaha’s Transacoustic technology a lot recently, mainly because it’s impressive and more people should know about it! For today’s choice, I went with the nylon string model, the Yamaha CG-TA, but the Transacoustic range is actually mostly steel string models, so please do bear that in mind,

Anyway, what even is Transacoustic? It’s a system that hides within the guitar and provides real time effects such as reverb and chorus. It’s as though the sound is coming directly from the soundhole (well, it is, that’s why!), so even though it is created digitally, it meshes perfectly with the guitar’s natural sound. The result is gorgeous, and very conducive to extended playing sessions!

Aside from the Transacoustic side of things, this is simply a lovely classical guitar with a solid spruce top and measurements that are closely dialled in (a 25 9/16” scale for instance, and a nut width of 2 1/16” so just over 52mm) to make sure that string tension and sustain are maximised. It all makes a difference when you play a note! Whether studying classical repertoire or dabbling in the numerous ‘world’ styles that utilise nylon string guitar, this Yamaha will inspire.

Alvarez are currently offering ranges of guitars that outperform those of double the price. That is not hyperbole: what Alvarez offer for the price is putting other brands to shame, and that’s why I think you should pay close attention to them. 

Like many brands, their offerings span beginner models to top-end guitars that cost thousands. When looking for a choice today, I consulted a few peers, and this one kept being mentioned: the Alvarez MP66E. It’s a parlour-sized model, which we haven’t yet looked at today. Parlour guitars are noticeably smaller than the likes of a dreadnought, and got their name from their use a century ago. People played them in their parlours, so the smaller body and more tightly focussed sound suited the space.

Anyway, this beautiful parlour guitar is made from solid African mahogany, so fingerstyle players will love that added warmth in their tone. I’m a real sucker for slotted headstocks and this one is a beaut! In addition, a quality LR Baggs pickup system means that you’ll sound wonderful plugged-in, too!

Perhaps not one for the strummy protest singers, but for those looking to make a more subtle, nuanced statement, this guitar will deliver the riches.

My final choice could be seen as somewhat contentious since it's as much an electric guitar as it is an acoustic, but that's precisely the point! The Fender Acoustasonic Player Jazzmaster comes in at the more affordable end of that range, and retains the most important elements from the dearer USA-made Acoustasonic.

It’s a true hybrid, with an unplugged sound that’s not unlike a quiet acoustic. Plugged in, though, this guitar starts to really show its worth. There’s an undersaddle piezo pickup that captures the acoustic side of your performance and a specially designed humbucker for the electric tones. Both convince to varying degrees (live audiences will be convinced, let me put it that way), but the real trick here is in blending the two together. You can play them straight, or you can use those sounds as springboards for hybrid sounds that are otherwise impossible to create.

The Acoustasonic is a very useful and inspiring instrument for creative songwriters. Available in various Fender electric guitar shapes, I went for the Jazzmaster one, chiefly for the position of the soundhole: it makes for the best sound, if you ask me!

There sure are some great acoustic guitars out there. Only some of my choices today came close to the thousand pound cut-off point, so I hope this reassures you that you can sound amazing and have a guitar that you can be proud of, without having to pay a king’s ransom. No matter your requirements, preferences and circumstances, I feel like there is something in today’s list for you! And if not, then the good news is that there’s a lot more out there! Make sure you take it all in, try a few that stand out to you, and go with what feels right to you and no one else. Have fun finding a new guitar and good luck!